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Welcome to Girls and Bicycles! I am Miss Sarah, an active transportation enthusiast, piano teacher, and writerly type. I like taking pictures to document active and beautiful living with my friends and family here in Edmonton

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April 26, 2009

Saturday was the Edmonton opera's La Traviata, a Verdi classic.

Saturday was also the opening of the South extension of the LRT here in Edmonton - a glorious day, to be sure! Thousands of people showed up to ride the line from one end to the other during the day of festivities planned by the city. After I got home from work Don and I walked to the South Campus station and saw tons of families out with kids being excited about buses and trains. Very cool.

We were planning on taking our new train to the opera, but you still have to walk across the parking lot to get inside the auditorium. Instead we biked for the door to door appeal.

It may be spring, but it was still cold. After the photos I threw on a wool cape that I bought in Dublin last year. It kept everything toasty except my legs. However, the ride wasn't long and (as usual) after pedaling hard for a few minutes the inner warmth exceeded the outer cold.

And yes, I did wear a helmet. It's just sitting in the basket for the picture, underneath the heap of wool.

April 20, 2009

I rode my bike on Friday to do all sorts of errands downtown, but nobody was around to photograph me so I am without documentation of pregnant girl on Pashley:(

While I was at an intersection downtown waiting for a light to change this tourist guy crossing the street stopped in the middle of the crosswalk to snap a photo of me. It was so cute! I was very flattered to be documented in his digital film. Maybe he'll go home and tell people "in Edmonton, pregnant girls ride bikes!" Unfortunately, it would be more accurate to say, "in Edmonton, there's this ONE pregnant girl riding her bike!"

I'm getting to the point where my feet sometimes swell. I haven't changed shoe sizes, but a whole day in 4 inch heels isn't what it used to be. I've been rocking these Jimmy Choo flats (above) quite frequently ever since I got them on super sale after Christmas. I love them because they are absolutely classic.

On a not-so-classic note, I also picked up these blue wedge sandals on Friday. Part of me thought that dealing with those buckles might not be so fun (bending over is becoming increasingly challenging). They look FANTASTIC, though, and I reasoned that having a fabulous pair of sandals is definitely deserving of somebody who has been hosting a party in her uterus for the past 33 weeks.

April 17, 2009

April 12, 2009

I rarely get Saturdays and Sundays off work. For a piano teacher, those days are prime time for seeing lots of kids because they're off school and their parents are free, etc. I got this long weekend off, however, and saw it as an opportunity to get my family out to dim sum.

April 10, 2009

Had a fantastic Friday that included the following:

Delicious brunch at my friend Crystal's. She made English muffins, a great fruit salad with mango in it (I dig the tropical fruits), these savoury baked ham/mushroom/egg cups, and fantastic roasted herb potatoes.

A very successful run to IKEA to pick up random bits and things in an effort to finally complete our renovations that have been ongoing since September.

Made brownies and white chocolate/macadamia biscotti for my father in law's birthday.

Went over to the in-laws' place for lasagna birthday dinner.

Rode my bike.

If anybody tells my parents... you're really only making life bad for everybody because they will needlessly worry and suffer stress, disappointment and anxiety about my biking while 32 weeks pregnant. I say this will make life difficult because I will continue to bike so long as I deem the conditions appropriate and I feel physically comfortable and able to do it. My parents will lecture me about my safety and the safety of micro d. I'll understand why they're concerned, but will ultimately bike if I really feel like it. Then we will fight about it, my parents and I.

I have a sneaking suspicion that my siblings who read my blog might be ratting me out. If that's the case, let me say, "Mom and Dad might end up thinking I'm crazy and disobedient... but telling on me won't make them love me any less. If I have to take the role of rebel daughter, then so be it."

I can see that nobody wants me to get run over. Okay. Message received. Much of the concern is about my falling down. Umm... maybe some people have their balance receptors messed up when they're pregnant? I haven't noticed that keeping balance on the bike is any different now than it was before. And to be honest, after walking long distances in Toronto and Ottawa for a week, biking is WAY more comfortable than being on foot. And you can carry way more stuff!

There has also been expressed concern about mounting and dismounting and how I could fall down that way. I just don't get it! Maybe people who worry about this stuff don't really have a lot of experience riding a bike? Putting my bum on a saddle and pedaling, then sticking my toe down on the pavement when I'm not pedaling does not require the talents of a cirque de soleil acrobat.

Unless somebody is so huge that their knees keep hitting their baby bump... I'm not really sure what the big controversy with bicycling while pregnant is. Perhaps riding while pregnant might not be as fun on a road bike where the posture is different, but upright on my Pashley? No problem. If somebody has a really difficult time with locomotion in general and doesn't feel confident or safe on a bike, then by all means, stay within your comfort zone. I assume everybody knows their own limits. Some people seem to think that I am not realistic about mine. I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree. For the record, Don has no problems with my biking while carrying his baby. It's all good in his book.

April 7, 2009

April 6, 2009

Here is a picture my friend Brian took of me yesterday, I was laughing heartily at something silly my friend Bryce was doing. We were having a coffee on the patio at a little joint called Sublime in Kensington Market.

I'm back from my lapse in posting due to a trip out to Ottawa and Toronto. Don and I were originally planning to go to Chicago, but international travel is a no-no when 32 weeks pregnant. I'm still 31 as of this past weekend, but back when we booked the tickets it wasn't entirely clear exactly how many weeks pregnant I was. Anyway, we decided to stay domestic and since I've never been to our nation's capital... we went. We had a handful of days there to check out cool old parliament buildings and spent a good couple of afternoons at the War Museum and the Museum of Civilization.

We took the train to Toronto and were happy to see people riding bikes everywhere! Got to hang out and catch up with many of our good friends, and ate excellent food constantly. Unfortunately, I didn't get my hands on a bike while I was in Toronto. Don and I walked, took the streetcars, and rode the TTC instead. I love transit, but I missed having a bike. My feet hurt.